"Well written, funny and wistful" - Paul Linford; "He is indeed the Lib Dem blogfather" - Stephen Tall"Jonathan Calder holds his end up well in the competitive world of the blogosphere" - New Statesman"A prominent Liberal Democrat blogger" - BBC Radio 4 Today programme"Charming and younger than I expected" - Wartime Housewife

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Six of the Best 141

Paula Keaveney reports back from the Liberal Democrats' Spring Conference, which was held in Sheffield this weekend.

Someone else who went to Sheffield is John Healey, Labour's shadow health spokesman. Olly Grender, writing for the New Statesman website, hopes he learned from the experience: "John Healey came with a typical 'blood up the walls' statement already prepared. Instead he found a party that is business like, considered and professional. Perhaps he can go back to his colleagues and tell them there are other ways to oppose."

This is a lesson that some of the protesters outside the conference need to learn too, argues Caron's Musings.

Mark Thompson's Blog attended what was billed as a "fair, impartial AV referendum debate" in Reading. It turned out to be a waste of his time.

Archbishop Cranmer asks why Roman Catholic priests who join the Church of England receive so much less publicity than CofE clergymen who move the other way.

Have you ever wondered how many nipples there are in the National Gallery? I know I have. Well, Londonist has the answer. "The results show that Flemish painting, as typified by Rubens, are the most nudish in European art collected by the National Gallery. However, other regions, most notably the Italian peninsula contribute a greater overall number. 274 examples of exposure can be found around the gallery, with men and women almost equally outgoing."